Gujarat begins properties survey without BU permission

Gujarat will conduct a state-wide sample survey of properties without building use (BU) permission across municipal corporations and Nagar Palika. Overall, 8,320 buildings and residential properties will be a part of this survey. According to the sources, the survey will be carried out to devise a legal provision to legitimize these buildings, even after these buildings cannot be legalised under the Gujarat Regularisation of Unauthorised Development Act. According to an official, merged municipal areas like Bopal-Ghuma have 80% of properties that do not have BU permission due to flawed building permission employed by the gram panchayats and Nagar Palika. He said Vastrapur, Bodakdev, Jodhpur and Thaltej were brought in. However, about 60% of the properties do not have BU permission. The issue was in Ahmedabad and other places, including Vadodara, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Surat, and Rajkot, run by the gram panchayats and Nagar Palika. An official said that sometimes the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) charged unauthorised development fees but was not providing BU permission. Many of the buildings have extra floors without BU permission. There are issues in implementing the Central Law of the Clinical Establishments in the state and requires that hospitals, nursing homes and clinics operate from legal premises. He added that fire safety and structural safety are still some of the biggest concerns. Image Source